Jim Nill's view of the Dallas Stars' future altered by Texas' AHL title

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G.J. McCarthy/Staff Photographer

Jim Nill, general manager for the Dallas Stars, talks with the media Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at the team's practice facility in Frisco. The Stars announced Tuesday that they had fired head coach Glen Gulutzan after two seasons with the team. (G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News) 07122013xBRIEFING

Jim Nill chuckles when he reads all the speculation about who the Stars might pursue in the off-season. Jason Spezza? Paul Stastny? Sidney Crosby?

That last one is sarcasm, but you get the point.

One, Nill points out, we don't even know who is out there and available. Two, we don't know if a person wants to come to Dallas either in a trade or as a free agent. Three, we don't know what kind of contract it will take to secure the services of said player.

"But that's why we have you," I told him with my own chuckle.

Jim Nill is among the most prepared people I know. He will do his research, he will formulate a plan, he will have options and back-up plans. But even he doesn't know what will happen in the coming weeks. To be honest, he didn't know last year, either. However, he was prepared and he scooped up Tyler Seguin when he became available.

That's how this works.

But while Nill will tell you that he can't predict the future, he'll confirm that how he sees the future changed over the past few weeks. When the Texas Stars won the Calder Cup, and when the players within his organization stepped up in key situations, it changed the timeline of advancement for several people…and that changes the timeline for the Stars.

The Texas Stars played 21 games in the playoffs. They beat Toronto in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. They beat St. John's in five games, but won Games 3, 4 and 5 in overtime. They basically earned another full season of experience in just two months.

"You can't duplicate that experience for these players," Nill said. "The pressure, the travel, the competition, the schedule…all of those things were very challenging. And they fought through it and learned from it and overcame it. That's just a tremendous hockey experience."

Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak and Jyrki Jokipakka all had to defend against great AHL players in pressure situations. That changes how Nill looks at his defense. Mix that in with the fact Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley were great down the stretch and in the playoffs at the NHL level, and now maybe there isn't a desperate need to go all-in on a defenseman.

Yes, Nill will still be prepared if the right deal is there, but he doesn't have to make the wrong deal just to make something happen.

Right now, the Stars could go to training camp with: Goligoski, Daley, Brenden Dillon, Jordie Benn, Kevin Connauton, Sergei Gonchar, Nemeth, Oleksiak, Jokipakka and a surgically-repaired John Klingberg. There is both skill and size in that mix, albeit with just one right-handed shot.

But, you get the point…that's not a terrible option.

Up front, there is much talk about bringing in a No. 2 center, and trying to create a full-on NHL-ready second line that can support Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. That's why we'd all like to see Dallas land one of the centers rumored to be available (Spezza, Stastny, Ryan Kesler, Joe Thornton, Brad Richards or Sam Gagner). But Nill is right in that every deal has complications.

Spezza has one year left on his deal, so what kind of extension do you have to give him? Five years? Six? Seven? Do you want to commit to that? What does Ottawa need in return? Stastny also will probably seek a contract in the range of six or seven seasons. Kesler has two years left, but you want him for more than that, right?

Kesler also requires giving up assets, as does Thornton _ and that's if either becomes available and either wants to come to Dallas.

Now, Nill isn't afraid to give up good assets and he's not afraid to get into a high-stakes game. He proved that last season with Seguin, giving up Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser and Joe Morrow in exchange for Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button. But he's also not afraid to say no.

While it would drive Stars fans a little crazy if they did nothing at center, you still have Seguin, Cody Eakin and Shawn Horcoff, as well as Radek Faksa and Travis Morin. Faksa is only 20 and played only five regular season games in the AHL this season, so most say he needs a full AHL season before he's ready. But he was great defensively in his 21 playoff games, and that changes how Nill views him.

Morin is 30 and has been unspectacular in his seven NHL games with the Stars (no goals, one assist), but is he a different player now? He was the AHL's regular season MVP, tallying 88 points (32 goals, 56 assists) in 63 games. He was the playoff MVP, tallying 22 points (9G, 13A) in 21 games.

Has Morin given himself the opportunity to get a legitimate crack at playing a top six role in the NHL? Like Faksa, he has certainly changed the perspective from the front office, and you can make the argument that Morin has never really been given a chance to show what he can do in Dallas.

AHL rookie of the year Curtis McKenzie seems the perfect addition among bottom six forwards, but could there be more? Is Brett Ritchie (about to turn 21) closer to ready? Is Scott Glennie, 23, figuring it out? The path to the AHL championship changed a lot of things.

Does that mean Nill won't still look for more established talent? Of course not. He's just not afraid to go forward with the talent that's in the organization.

And that could give him a little more leverage when he's negotiating in the coming weeks.

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